Sand Star missing digits

[geopod]

Maybe you have a hitchiker crab in your rock somewhere that eats it at night.

george

[Bob I]

Sand Stars often drop digits for no obvious reasons. If otherwise healthy it will regrow them.

[Willow]

sandsifting stars need huge healthy sandbeds to keep them fed and healthy. it is most likely starving to death. there is a good article in the november issue of coral magazine on stars and health.

[TheReefGeek]

IMO, your tank is too new and too small for stars. Plus the sand sifting star will eat most of your biodiversity in your sandbed. I would use snails and gobies to sift your sandbed.

Where the legs are missing, does it look like it was torn, or that it is dissintigrating?

[Black Phantom]

I'm going with the group on this one. Your tanks too small. There is a good arcticle on Reef Central and what they require.
I've got one in my 250 with a 6-8 inch sand bed and he does okay but smaller is not a good thing.

[Aquaholic]

Well...

I have had my tank going for about 3 months now, 2 inch bed (small sand) I also have a goby and some snails to sift the bed (i didnt think it was getting sifted around enough so i bought the star. It seems healthy, the legs look like they more "fell off" i guess.

40-45 gal tank "tall cube"
60 lbs of live rock

P.s. hes a fairly small one (leg to leg only about 3")

[TheReefGeek]

Try target feeding it to keep it alive.

What kind of goby do you have?

[Aquaholic]

Yellow watchman, hes doing really well. even says hi once and a while

I'm still looking for a yellowhead jawfish.